#Production 14x04

[glenncoco4]

I guess we’re back to silence on set…

(I know we got Medalion’s post but with silence from both Olsens it feels like it’s been decades since we’ve seen bts)

[multishipperlove]

I’m pissed that Dean completely ignored and belittled his brother’s discomfort with Halloween, but that scene where Dean was watchign TV with that other guy from the store, quoting his favorite movie word for word? And just being a total dork? I want to see more of that version of Dean again. Less of the cynic, the selfish asshole who, way too often, uses violence to get what he wants and is being a dick to his brother. I’m not saying he has to be happy all the time, not at all. But he doesn’t always have to be a dick and let his emotions out on others.

[orionsangel86]

Narrative Mirror Characters in Supernatural – An Overview for the Uninitiated.

Mirror characters have always been a classic story telling device. The purpose of a mirror character is to reflect on the main characters journey and emotional state and to provide lessons for the main character to learn. Mirror characters in TV and movies can also be used for foreshadowing purposes and encourage the audience to question the main characters path.

A famous example would be Frodo Baggins and his narrative mirror Gollum in The Lord of the Rings. Gollum is a dark mirror for Frodo in that he represents everything that Frodo could become if he succumbs to the power of the One Ring. Frodo’s present is Gollum’s past as Smeagol, and throughout the books Frodo becomes more and more aware of his fate as he grows closer to Gollum/Smeagol and makes the decision to try to save him as a reflection of his desire to save himself.

Narrative mirrors are everywhere and widely used in all forms of storytelling. To deny them, is to deny basic storytelling tropes. Sometimes the narrative mirrors are extremely, painfully obvious, and other times they are quite subtle and have only a very minor meaning in the greater story.

Supernatural is a series which has used narrative mirror characters quite extensively throughout its long history. It frequently uses mirror characters to provide an additional layer to the emotional journeys of its lead characters to encourage emotional growth. Supernatural also often uses mirror characters to highlight unspoken main character storylines which support subtextual themes as well as foreshadowing potential future plot outcomes.

Supernatural relies so heavily on its narrative character mirrors, that recently in episode 14x04 Mint Condition it gave its viewers a textual lesson on character mirrors straight from its lead characters mouths:

Gif Source: (x) 

DEAN (Pointing at Samantha): She’s like your twin.

[SAM pushes his hair back just as SAMANTHA does the same.]

SAM: What? What are you talking about?

DEAN: Soft, delicate features, luxurious hair. She’s like your wonder twin.

SAM: Yeah.

[A man, DIRK, is crouching in front of the comic book stands picking up comics. He has a lollipop in his mouth. SAM points to him.]

SAM: Well, okay, if that’s me then that’s you over there.

DEAN: That guy?

SAM: Yeah.

DEAN: Yeah, we have zero in common

(The scene then proceeds to show just how much Dean has in common with Dirk)

Following this fun scene, the episode continues to show how much Sam and Dean have in common with their mirror characters in many ways, including a moving moment between Dirk and Dean in which Dirk talks about how important his friend Stuart is to him. (Stuart who was first introduced in this episode wearing a tan trench coat similar to the classic coat worn by Castiel – Dean’s best friend).

From this blatantly obvious in-show commentary, we can infer how the Supernatural creators like to present their mirror characters and how we, the audience, can keep a look out for them. The key indicators are as follows:

Similar clothing - Character clothing choices are very important in this show. The brothers are almost always dressed in plaid and what Castiel would probably call “lumberjack chic”. Castiel always wears a tan trenchcoat, formal attire, white shirt, blue tie. His mirrors are pretty much the easiest to spot. Arguably any side character wearing a tan trenchcoat is a mirror for Castiel.

Siblings – Where side characters are siblings, they are mirrors for Sam and Dean.

Parent/Child pairs – Less common, but also often a comment on Sam and Dean’s dynamic, Dean being the parent to Sam.

Immortal characters with a sympathy to humanity – usually a Cas mirror.

Tastes/interests – Like with Dirk, if a side character appears who the main characters bond with over mutual interests, the chances are they are a mirror for the main character in question.

Storylines; depending on overarching season plots – less obvious, but sometimes the most interesting. Characters that appear in standalone episodes that have an emotional tie to the mytharc plot of the season usually serve to give lessons to the main characters. Those characters will stand in for the main characters when dealing with their own emotional turmoil, which will usually be similar in theme to the emotional turmoil that the main characters are going through. Consider Ed and Harry from 9x14’s #Thinman episode - such a blatantly obvious Winchester mirror that it should need no explaining here.

By taking all these various indicators into consideration when watching any episode of Supernatural, it becomes rather easy to spot the character mirrors and depending on the actions and plot purpose of those mirror characters, we can usually conclude their purpose and the connection to the overall mytharc, or in some cases character development plot.

I’m about to pull out some big examples so you can use those as templates to go forth and find the mirrors! But my main point in this post is to argue that meta writers aren’t pulling this stuff out of our asses. Character mirrors are a story telling technique that is used frequently and with clear author intent. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you are seeing things when you believe that characters are meant to be mirrors. It is far more likely that they ARE intended mirrors than not.

I recently came across these tweets on Twitter:

Mark Harris is a former Entertainment Weekly executive editor and author of several books on Hollywood and the film industry.

Brian Koppelman is the co-creator and showrunner of the TV show “Billions” and has worked in the TV and Film industries for over two decades.

I would hazard a guess that both of these individuals have a greater authority on the inner workings of TV show production than YOU or I or anyone else in this fandom about to scream those immortal and highly ridiculous words “yOu ArE rEaDiNg InTo ThInGs!”

But by all means, if you are going to disregard my post as nothing more than a “crazy” fan trying to claim author intent where there is none, perhaps you could first take a look below the cut, because these mirror characters in SPN are hardly coincidence, and the general motto to run by is that if some characters are definitely mirrors, then the chances are that wherever you THINK you see a character mirror, and it makes logical sense, the INTENT was for you to see a character mirror all along. 

So therefore, never disregard a fan interpretation of a narrative character mirror when they see one. 

If you do, you are going to look like a huge jackass.

Please keep reading for glaringly obvious Destiel character mirrors along with some nice brother character mirrors for comparison. We ain’t kidding around folks.

First of all, lets consider some examples where Supernatural has used narrative mirror characters specifically to highlight Sam and Dean’s emotional growth.

A recent and very obvious example is from 14x12.

The brothers interview Eddie, the twin brother of a murdered man in a case they are investigating. Eddie is distraught by his brother’s murder, and he says the following:

“I can’t believe he’s gone. We were close. Best friends. Alan always said he was my big brother, ‘cause he was born first. By, like, four minutes. Losing him is like losing a part of myself. I never knew it could be this bad.”

In this situation, Eddie is a clear Sam mirror character, because his emotional response to his brother Alan’s death is exactly what Sam’s would be if he were to lose Dean. Dean, in this scenario, is the one learning the lesson. He is having to witness through a character mirror the pain that Sam would go through upon Dean’s suicide. This reflects the current mytharc plot in which Dean has chosen a suicide mission of locking himself away with the archangel Michael in order to prevent Michael’s escape.

This is a simple mirror which specifically relates to the theme of the episode. However, other character mirrors have a wider lesson in mind. Another recent episode that used character mirrors for the brothers was 13x12 Various and Sundry Villains.

In this episode, the brothers come up against a pair of villainous witch sisters. The sisters are determined to bring their mother back from the dead and will stop at nothing to succeed. The sisters are dark Winchester mirrors in that they symbolise the lengths the brothers will go to in order to save themselves and their family – putting their own goals above the safety of the world. This episode took place during a season 13 mytharc plot in which the Winchesters own mother Mary was trapped in an apocalyptic universe and the Winchesters were looking for a way to save her (and Jack) regardless of warnings from Death herself that no good would come from jumping universes.

It was also a wider commentary on the Winchesters own toxic co-dependency – a theme that has been running within the subtext of the show since Season 8 which portrays the brothers co-dependent relationship as a negative force in their universe and something that they need to break free of – a theme which has been building quite nicely in these later seasons.

The episode 13x12 ends with the witch sisters horrifically murdering each other whilst under a spell in a scene which symbolically shows just what could happen to the Winchester boys if they don’t free each other from their own toxic relationship.

This was a prime example of character mirrors have a deeper message in terms of their relation to the main characters and their overall character journeys on the show.

Sam and Dean have had mirror characters established in the show since the early seasons. One obvious example was in 1x18 Something Wicked This Way Comes which prominently features a young boy called Michael who feels responsible for his little brother Asher. Michael is an obvious Dean mirror used to emphasise Dean’s loss of innocence at a young age due to the boy’s early introduction to monsters by their father.

Many of the early season character mirrors were used to provide backstory for Sam and Dean such as this one, or to provide dark foreshadowing (like used with Frodo and Gollum) for Sam particularly with the “Special Children” throughout seasons 1 and 2.

In the later seasons, character mirrors are more likely to be used to either provide Sam and Dean with emotional lessons, or highlight their co-dependency as a negative force.

See, its quite simple so far right? Would you actually deny that these characters were Winchester mirrors? You can possibly argue with my interpretation, but you can’t really argue against the mirrors themselves, that much is obvious.

Now is where it gets interesting. Because whilst you may have no problem seeing mirror characters for Sam and Dean in the show, would you feel the same way if I was to present you with an EVEN LARGER mountain of evidence for mirror characters for Dean and Cas? 

Another frequent use of character mirrors within the show in the later seasons is to highlight a potential romantic partnership between Dean and Castiel. This is a controversial opinion and one many viewers of the show either ignore or adamantly deny. However, arguably you can’t pick and choose your meta in this show. If you agree with one set of thematic mirrors, you must surely admit to the same filming techniques being used elsewhere. If mirrors exist between Sam and Dean, they must also exist between Dean and Cas, and sometimes those mirrors are just as blatantly obvious, if not more so.

One prominent example (and probably the most obvious) comes from episode 9x20. Written by the current showrunner Andrew Dabb, this episode was an attempt at a spin off show with a completely new set of characters. One part of this episode included a love story between monster characters David and Violet.

Please refer to this post: http://bluestar86.tumblr.com/post/178577156431/i-cant-recall-where-but-i-read-somewhere-that-a for further detail about this character mirror. Because it’s so obvious its laughable.

The basic mirror is that David is Dean. He is the son of a powerful monster family in Chicago who is pulled back into the war when his brother Sal is murdered. “David” = Dean, “Sal” = Sam. Get it? That’s one clear mirror. The back story alone is obvious enough.

Violet is the daughter of another powerful monster family, one that is actively antagonising the others and supports the war. She spends most of the episode wearing this:

Violet is clearly our Castiel mirror. A daughter of a troublesome monster family that wants to start war, but who tries to prevent that because of her love for one of the other families sons? Its Romeo and Juliet but it is also very Dean and Cas.

The turbulent relationship between David and Violet is told using lines previously spoken between Dean and Cas word for word, but in an obviously romantic way (because heterosexual romance is irritatingly obvious even when using lines previously given to “just bros”). Seriously, go read the linked post and just TRY to deny this mirror.

One of the more recent obvious DeanCas mirrors in the show comes from season 14 between Mary Winchester and AU!Bobby. In the episode immediately following 14x04’s lesson in recognising mirror characters in Supernatural Mary and Bobby show up to put our mirror recognition to the test.

Mary has been used as a mirror character for Castiel and vice versa since she was reintroduced to the show in season 12. In terms of the key indicators, she has often been seen wearing a tan trenchcoat, or a general tan coat with white and blue clothing (her clothing is often coded for Castiel) as well as her emotional journey being tied to his in her struggle to find belonging among her family.

AU!Bobby is a Dean mirror. His story very closely compares to many of Dean’s storylines over the years, including Purgatory and being traumatised by the loss of his son (a canonical fact being that both Sam and Dean acknowledge that Dean raised Sam and was practically his only parental figure).

The romance between him and Mary is still pretty much completely subtextual, and yet people still acknowledge its existence. It has been shown through longing looks and conversations with the brothers where Mary voices her frustrations at her inability to break through the supposed communication barriers between her and Bobby (an interesting storyline which compares extremely closely with season 13’s long running miscommunication theme for Dean and Cas.)

Bobby and Mary’s current story reflects Dean and Cas’s especially in Mary’s frustrations to get Bobby to open up to her about his troubled past. There is an underlying message here which indicates Castiel’s own frustrations at Dean for not being more open and honest with him (again this was shown far more subtly as recently as 14x12 in how Dean keeps things from Cas because they are far too painful for him to address). This mirror is practically undeniable, just like David and Violet. Yet both are romantic. 

The other glaringly obvious het character mirror pairing for Dean and Cas was Cain and Colette in seasons 9 and 10. Just because the story didn’t resolve itself, doesn’t mean the mirror wasn’t intended and specifically catered for Dean and Cas from the start.

Cain and Colette is a HUGE example of a mirror that was practically textually confirmed (and was actually confirmed by Jared Padalecki at a convention).

(x)

In fact, arguably 10x14 called for the audience to notice character mirrors before 14x04 did! Cain constantly reiterated that he was a Dean mirror TEXTUALLY. He told Dean that Sam was his Abel. He very clearly stated how Dean would live his life in reverse - Cain killed Abel first, then he unwillingly killed his wife Colette, before finally giving in and killing his demonic kin - the knights of hell.

He told Dean he would first kill Crowley - his own demonic kin in a sense, then he would kill Castiel - Deans... partner? Before finally killing Sam. How can I make this any clearer? Oh yeah. This:

In fact just got take a look at the source post for those gifs to see all the other ways Cas is a mirror for Colette and watch me laugh at anyone still trying to deny this: http://casclaire.tumblr.com/post/119456988024/and-everyone-you-know-everyone-you-love-they

Those were the het pairings (among many others) but Dean and Cas have also been mirrored to practically every other queer pairing in the show save one (and that was played purely for jokes for W*ncest fans). 

Now the importance of queer representation is something we frequently discuss in fandom. So before some asshat decides to pipe up and accuse me I’ll just add a nice little disclaimer so said asshat can shut the hell up:

Theorising that queer pairings in Supernatural may also be mirror pairings for Destiel does not diminish the pairing or the representation in its own right. To claim it does so is utter bullshit. The pairing is still awesome and should be celebrated because hey! It’s on the show isn’t it? It’s out in the open as a canon queer pairing! YAY for US! Speculating that it could also be a Destiel mirror pairing only ADDS to the awesomeness. It does NOT diminish it in any way...

Unless you hate Destiel of course in which case... well:

So now we’ve got that out of the way:

Several of our best queer pairings in SPN over the years can also reflect Destiel and their relationship.

Charlie and Gilda is a prime example:

Gilda appears in episode 8x11 as a fairy from another realm who has been taken prisoner and forced via magic to do horrible things against her nature by a bad guy. Charlie is able to free her from her “masters” spell.

Sound familiar?

It should do, because this is basically Castiel’s story in season 8. He is brainwashed by Naomi to do bad things against his nature which culminates in Dean managing to break through to him by declaring how much he “needs” him. Isn’t it all so marvelously gay?

How about this awesome gay couple:

(x)

Honestly I could wax poetic about this episode for a thousand years, but I will just stress this: Anyone who tries to suggest that the mirror here is for Sam and Dean is clearly missing the fact that the entire point of this episode was about a BROTHER getting revenge for and mourning the loss of his BROTHER. So the Brother mirror is already well established at the start of the episode. 

But Cesar? Cesar is all Cas. He’s the “foreigner” supporting his partners revenge quest regardless of his own desires. Hell, even their names are similar. Besides, their entire relationship was a lesson for the audience in how to recognise body language. All those shoulder squeezes and longing stares? Destiel was all over Jesse and Cesar. I have no doubt in that.

But if that didn’t swing it for you how about this lovely canon pairing?

(x)

The fandom coined “DreamHunter” pairing between Claire Novak and Kaia Nieves was built completely on famous Destiel moments. Longing looks, pledges of protection, “I’ll go with you”, saving each other, trying to go back for each other, mourning the others death… Dreamhunter was also still completely subtextual until recently when Jody Mills stated “First love strikes quick” a simple sentence, and it was confirmed as canon in the show. 

Here’s a handy post of how dreamhunter was built on a Destiel framework:

http://bluestar86.tumblr.com/post/179549508598/tinkdw-first-love-strikes-quick-to-lose-it

Other than these obvious pairings above, there are literally hundreds of character mirrors used throughout the show’s 300 episode run so far which are put in place by the writers and the crew specifically to indicate some deeper meaning to the overall lead character emotional arcs. This has been common and frequent in the show throughout its long history. The above examples are just the most obvious ones related to either Sam and Dean or Dean and Cas.  Almost every episode of this show includes character mirrors in some way or another. Character mirrors specifically linking to Dean and Cas have been particularly frequent throughout Carver and Dabb era (practically every episode in season 8 had a tragic human x immortal creature love story for example).

So for ANYONE to argue that we are seeing mirrors where they don’t exist? Well, those people are straight up wrong. I don’t care who they are, or whether they have some status within fandom or if they are just some asshole on the internet, unless the denial of character mirrors is coming from the writers or the directors of the episodes, they are wrong.

Which leads me nicely to this:

My reason for writing this long meta post was because of this. Simple enough right? We got three kids in 14x13. One is a tall nerdy boy who just seems to radiate with the same aura as Colin Morgan’s young Sam Winchester. One is a fiery young lady called Max, who wears a plaid jacket and has a shy crush on her friend - she also gets behind the seat of the Impala at one point as if that wasn’t obvious enough. The other girl Stacy we don’t know much about, other than that she is quiet, pretty, with dark hair and clearly the object of Max’s affections.

When I first watched this episode with @tinkdw​ and this scene came up we both didn’t even have to think about it. It was so clear to us. Nice one SPN, we see what you did there. The framing, the characters personalities, the coded clothing... there wasn’t a doubt between us that this was framed intentionally, and in a scene literally moments before Cas comes home to his family.

It was supposed to be simple, no big deal. Yet another Destiel mirror among the mountain of Destiel mirrors the show has already given us. Its not even anywhere near as impactful as one of the character mirror pairings previously mentioned in this post. Yet it was enough to cause such a huge wank storm on Twitter and have BNF accounts start a parade of abuse and blame towards meta writers for even DARING to consider that Destiel mirrors may exist AT ALL in this show, let alone with author intent!

Colour me effing surprised.

If ANYONE tries to tell ANY Destiel shipper that they don’t have a right to see character mirrors in the show, to believe that there is author intent, to SHAME them for seeing those mirrors in queer pairings specifically. You go right ahead and block those people. Because their opinions are their own no matter how much they may scream like they have some kind of authority. They don’t. 

No one has any authority over the way you interpret the media you enjoy. Even me.

Don’t forget that. 

So my point on this post was basically to say this.

You go right ahead and keep looking for character mirrors in SPN, because they have been intentionally included in the show since its humble beginnings.  Destiel mirrors are a huge part of that. You are NOT wrong for seeing them. 

Max and Stacy in 14x13 were just the latest in a long line of Destiel specific character mirrors in a show renowned for using character mirrors to the point that it has textually given its audience A. Lesson. In. How. To. Spot. Character. Mirrors. 

I am not making this shit up.

At the end of the day, by believing the mirrors are intentional, and what makes this post controversial, is that it means I am telling you that TPTB are intentionally providing us with romantic Destiel subtext.

Well, that is exactly what I am saying. Because they are. There is no doubt about this. You don’t fill your show to the brim with romantic tropes, romantic character mirrors and an underlying romantic narrative C plot for at least 4 seasons without having some intentional desire to potentially make this thing an actual thing. 

You just DON’T. 

The writers know what the hell they are doing. They want to keep Destiel an option for endgame, so they keep it going throughout the show. Whether or not they eventually make it textual to a point that a general audience can’t deny its existence is another story, because that’s the kind of thing that need a green light from the CW suits. 

But the writers, the creators of the show, everyone involved to an extent, they all know what they are doing. Anyone who at this stage would deny author intent regarding Destiel loses all my respect because frankly its insulting to the creators themselves. No one is so idiotic that they would make something look unintentionally romantic for 10 years.

The mirrors are real. Destiel is real. The creators of SPN continue to include it so they can keep it an option for endgame because (and this is the part I don’t know for sure but can at least guess because I don’t consider the entire writing team to be asshole queerbaiters) they want to make it canon as much as we want it to be canon.

Whether they actually CAN or not is the issue at this point. The debate on whether or not we “are reading into things” has been null and void since season 12. It was practically null and void since season 8 TBH.

So keep looking out for the Destiel mirrors (and the Sam and Dean mirrors and any other character mirrors you may pick up on) and you go right ahead and post and speculate and tweet and blog and do whatever the hell you want to do to voice your opinion on the topic because NO ONE has the right to police what you see in the show - especially when it has already been proven to be clearly intentional on the part of the creative team.

Finally I will leave you with this humble message from our “overlord” in case my post hasn’t already swayed you away from negative thinking and believing the deniers:

Thanks for reading. :)

[poorreputation]

Notes on Supernatural 14X04: Mint Condition

Episode summary: Dean continues to struggle; Sam is forced to think fast when action figures come to life and he finds himself living in a horror movie.

Note: Written by Davy Perez (prepare for gay shit)

Note 2: No Cas this episode. :(

Spoilers below the cut.

Will we get Michael!Dean flashbacks? (no)

How are Cas and Jack written off? “Cas is showing Jack the ropes.” Is that the hunting trip mentioned last week, or?

How many horror references will there be? (MANY)

-Right off the bat, as we meet Stewart, we get Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street. (one has to wonder if DC owns the comic properties for these franchises)

-ALL THE DC PRODUCT PLACEMENT!!

-”So handsome, so angry.” The gay has started.

-Stewart wearing a Cas coat. (Accidents don’t just happen accidentally)

-Dean watches a movie in the Hatchet Man franchise (FYI, there is a franchise simply called Hatchet)

-Dean is shown staring at a guy in a muscle tee (the girl in the film is much more modestly dressed in comparison, and Dean’s reflection is not seen on the screen with her. I’m looking for ALL THE GAY, DAVY)

-Sam shaved! The pink in his shirt brings out the pink in his lips. What were we talking about?

-Dean’s hanging paintings in his room, now, huh.

-Puppet Master reference.

-Dean is ME.

-Sam meets his shorter twin. (mirror) Dean meets nerd. (mirror)

-Stewart get shanked, Dean goes after the culprit.

-Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake poster, EWWWW.

-YES, DESTROY IT, GHOST-CHAINSAW!! 

-Sam and Dean are at hospital with Stewart and his Mom. Sam goes back to the house to scope it out, and DEAN LETS HIM DRIVE, WHAT.

-Stewart’s BFF wants to be there when he wakes. Aw, it smells gay. (totes not a DeanCas mirror)

-Sam gets KO’d S14 counter: 1.

-The door’s blown open with a Scooby-Doo lunchbox.

-It’s not a horror episode without sequel bait!

Final notes:

I really liked this. Davy seems to have had a hell of a time putting this one together. I’m just sad Cas doesn’t get to be around for as many of the goofy episodes. But, mirrors aplenty, and lots of gay. What more could I ask of Supernatural? canon Destiel, canon Bi!Dean, Sam gets a dog, 2k18, bring back Eileen, fire Buckleming 

What’d you guys think? Let me know!

[lets-steal-an-archive]

After seeing that Deadline piece + Amanda Tapping returning to direct 13x12 + remembering Nina Lopez-Corrado directed this week's episode, I got curious about the percent of episodes not directed by white dudes, so I looked at the DGA Episodic Television Director Diversity Reports. I then got annoyed at the lack of explanation for why the percentages were based on fewer than 23 episodes, so I fixed it:

2011-12 S7: Supernatural (CW/Warner Bros. Television/NS Pictures) – 0%

2012-13 S8: Supernatural (CW/Warner Bros. Television/NS Pictures) – 0%

2013-14 S9: Supernatural (CW/Warner Bros. Television/NS Pictures) – 4% 9x03: Kevin Hooks

2014-15 S10: Supernatural (CW/Warner Bros. Television/NS Pictures) – 4% 10x17: Rashaad Ernesto Green

2015-16 S11: Supernatural (CW/Warner Bros. Television/NS Pictures) – 13% 11x05: Rashaad Ernesto Green 11x17: Nina Lopez-Corrado 11x19: Eduardo Sanchez

2016-17 S12: Supernatural (CW/Warner Bros. Television/NS Pictures) – 22% 12x05 + 12x15: Nina Lopez-Corrado 12x07: Eduardo Sanchez 12x16: Amyn Kaderali 12x19: Amanda Tapping

2017-18 S13: Supernatural (CW/Warner Bros. Television/NS Pictures) - 30% 13x06 + 13x19: Nina Lopez-Corrado 13x11 + 13x18: Amyn Kaderali 13x12 + 13x15: Amanda Tapping 13x13: Eduardo Sanchez

2018-19 S14: Supernatural (CW/Warner Bros. Television/NS Pictures) - 35% 14x04 + 14x09 + 14x14: Amyn Kaderali 14x05: Darren Grant 14x08: Eduardo Sanchez 14x10: Amanda Tapping 14x18: Nina Lopez-Corrado

2019-20 S15: Supernatural (CW/Warner Bros. Television/NS Pictures) – 20% 15x07 + 15x13 + 15x16: Amyn Kaderali (source) (source) (source) 15x14: Eduardo Sanchez (source) 15x17: Catriona McKenzie (source)

**as of 15x18 the following slots can be sourced outside of imdb: 15x09 + 15x20: Bob Singer (source) (source) 15x10 John Showalter (source) 15x11 Charles Beeson (source) 15x12 + 15x18: Richard Speight Jr. (source) (source) (source) 15x15: Matt Cohen (source)

*Title (Network/Studio/Production Company) – % of Eps by Women or Minority Directors

tl;dr It wasn’t until season 11 that Supernatural was finally off the DGA list of shows with the worst records of hiring women and minority directors

(i removed 2 letters from the original)

[heartlandians]

Season 14 Spoilers Masterlist (episode by episode)

Production office opened August 18, 2020 Shot between September 8 - 21 December 2020 Season 14 premieres January 10, 2021  OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT, SO YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! I will update this post with all the new info we get.

PROMO SHOTS | CHARACTER BIOS | SEASON 14 TAG | EPISODE GUIDE | TEASER | TRAILER

“While Amy struggles with a life-changing challenge in Season 14, the entire town of Hudson will have to deal with an unexpected disaster that threatens to derail Lou’s first term as mayor. But, the family will pull through together and be stronger as a result.”

* * * *

14x01 - Keep Me In Your Heart

The past year has brought unexpected change to the Heartland family; Amy deals with a major upheaval in her life; Lou copes with the reality of being the mayor of Hudson; Georgie revisits her dream of the Olympics.

Written by: Heather Conkie Directed by: Pierre Tremblay Filmed between: Sep 8 - 28, 2020 Airs: January 10, 2021

Characters: Amy, Lyndy, Jack, Georgie, Lou, Tim, Lisa, Ty, Quinn, Katie, Mitch, Caleb. Guest stars: Aidan Moreno (Rick Adderly), D. Adam Jamieson (Doctor), Amber Fielding (Fiona). Animals: horse: Casper, Phoenix, Spartan, Harley. Plot points: Fall Finale, Lou’s mayor office, a ride with most of the cast members, characters wearing formal/black clothes, scenes at the barn with Amy and Spartan, the loft, the fishing cabin, Lyndy needs a stunt double, drone shots. Music: - Crystal Plamondon - "Forever More" - 100 Mile House - "All We Have" Extras: - Graham Wardle’s message to fans - Heartland Executive Producers talk about Heartland Season 14 - Amber Marshall weighs in on the emotional start to Season 14 - Michael Weinberg talks about Graham Wardle’s decision    Preview | First minutes | 14x01 tag | Stills | Screencaps

* * * *

14x02 - The Last Goodbye

Amy must face a difficult truth when her efforts to help a young girl form a connection with her new horse takes an unexpected turn. Meanwhile, Lou faces harsh criticism as mayor, and a cattle drive brings up difficult memories for Jack.

Written by: Mark Haroun Directed by: Ken Filewych Filmed between: Sep 8 - 28, 2020 Airs: January 17, 2021

Characters: Amy, Jack, Georgie, Lou, Lyndy, Jade, Quinn, Jade, Tim, Parker, Katie. Guest stars: Aidan Moreno (Rick Adderly), Karen Johnson-Diamond (Carol), Armin Karame (Ibrahim), Emily Lavy (Kid Protestor #1). Animals: horse: Mickey, Spartan, the new colt. Plot points: barn, camping/firepit in the woods, night scenes, cattle, scenes with Jade and Quinn, Georgie and Jade at the treehouse, Jade and Quinn need a stunt double, scene in the kitchen with Amy, Lyndy and Georgie/breakfast, the attic room + Parker drawing, scenes at the park. Music: - Six Corners - "Ready For the Fall" - Arkells - "Quitting You" Extras: Preview | First minutes | 14x02 tag | Stills | Screencaps

* * * *

14x03 - Making Amends

Amy grudgingly helps Ty's mother Lily with a traumatized racehorse; Lou gets into even more hot water when she tries to sell Hudson as a "must see" tourist destination.

Written by: Heather Conkie and Alexandra Clarke Directed by: Chris Potter  Filmed between: Sep 29 - Oct 20, 2020 Airs: January 24, 2021

Characters: Amy, Lou, Lyndy, Jack, Lily, Katie, Parker, Lisa, Jen, Peter, Ty. Guest stars: Aidan Moreno (Rick Adderly), Ben Rose (Chad Cunningham), Chad Thomas (Driver). Animals: horse: Howler, Mickey. Plot points: horse racing, Amy riding with Lily, the mayor’s office, stunt double for Amy, scene with Amy and Lyndy by the pond, scenes at the Dude Ranch with Jen, Peter, Lou, scenes with Amy and Lou, dinner scene. Extras: Preview | First minutes | 14x03 tag | Stills | Screencaps

* * * *

14x04 - Through the Smoke

Disaster strikes Hudson when a train derails and causes an explosion that threatens the town and the surrounding area. A wild fire quickly spreads towards the rodeo grounds and Amy rushes to save the abandoned horses there.

Written by: Ken Craw Directed by: Chris Potter  Filmed between: Sep 29 - Oct 20, 2020 Airs: January 31, 2021

Characters: Amy, Lou, Lyndy, Jack, Tim, Lily, Lisa, Katie, Parker, Peter, Ty. Guest stars: Aidan Moreno (Rick Adderly), Paul Cowling (Mark Devers), Mara Stevens (Lorraine), Ben Wong (Left Wing Councillor), Karen Ryan (Right Wing Councillor). Animals: horse: Mickey, Howler. Plot points: the police at Crossfield, Maggie’s, Amy roping, Lyndy has flour on her face, Rick and Lou at Maggie’s. Extras: Preview | First minutes | 14x04 tag | Stills | Screencaps

* * * *

14x05 - Outsiders

The wild, black stallion that Amy rehomed from Will’s ranch is brutally forced out of the herd by the new leader, leaving Amy to track down the injured horse and nurse him back to health. Meanwhile, Tim and Jack discover a mysterious hidden baseball diamond on Sam Langston’s property. And Lou’s old mentor from New York arrives at the dude ranch, stirring up old wounds for Lou, and new feelings for Tim.

Written by: Ken Craw Directed by: Winnifred Jong Filmed between: Oct 21 - Nov 9, 2020 Airs: February 14, 2021

Characters: Amy, Jack, Lou, Lyndy, Tim, Caleb, Katie, Parker. Guest stars: Aidan Moreno (Rick Adderly), Rob Bergevin (self), Michelle Nolden (Jessica Cook), Shawn Roberts (Samn Langston). Animals: horse: Spartan, Caz, Champ, Buddy, the black stallion. Plot points: baseball, Dude Ranch (Lou and Rick). Music: - Aardwolves - "Not Alone" Extras: Preview | First minutes | 14x05 tag | Stills | Screencaps

* * * *

14x06 - The New Normal

When a group of wild horses need new homes, Amy must get back to her Miracle Girl roots and host her first horse clinic in over a year.

Written by: Alexandra Clarke Directed by: Winnifred Jong Filmed between: Oct 21 - Nov 9, 2020 Airs: February 21, 2021

Characters: Amy, Jack, Lou, Lyndy, Tim, Lisa, Caleb, Peter, Mitch, Katie. Guest stars: Adrian Spencer (Cooper Hose), Greg Lawson (Clint Riley), Ivan Cermak (Fred Garland), Gillian Skupa (Clinic Guest #1), Christi Dos Santos (Clinic Guest #2), Michelle Nolden (Jessica Cook). Animals: horse: Spartan, Shadow, Champ, Boots. Plot points: Fairmont Palliser Hotel, Calgary, Lou helping with the wild horses. Music: - Bill Anschell - "Second Thought" - Aardwolves - "Something Better Coming" Extras: Preview | First minutes | 14x06 tag | Stills | Screencaps

* * * *

14x07 - Courage

Tim seeks out help from an unlikely person when he finds himself competing in a polo match. And Amy is concerned her daughter isn’t adjusting well to her new reality, so she makes a decision that worries Jack.

Written by: Mark Haroun Directed by: Jill Carter Filmed between: Nov 10 - Nov 30, 2020  Airs: February 28, 2021

Characters: Amy, Lou, Jack, Lyndy, Lisa, Tim, Georgie, Quinn, Katie. Guest stars: Jack Schneider (Roland), Lesley Tims (Referee), Michelle Nolden (Jessica). Animals: horse: Harley, Monty. Plot points: polo (Tim involved), Hillhurst, kitchen.

Music: - Cree Rider Family Band - "The Way That I Want To Be" - Fort Nowhere - "The Times They Are A-Changin'" Extras: Preview | First minutes | 14x07 tag | Stills | Screencaps

* * * *

14x08 - Changing Gears

Caleb finds a memento from the past that he thinks will have special meaning for Amy. But surprisingly, it's Jack who has some mixed emotions stirred up by the gift.

Written by: Ken Craw Directed by: Jill Carter Filmed between: Nov 10 - Nov 30, 2020 Airs: March 7, 2021

Characters: Amy, Jack, Lyndy, Caleb, Jade, Tim. Guest stars: Diego Diablo Del Mar (Leon), Michelle Nolden (Jessica), Lorraine (Mara Stevens). Animals: horse: Spartan. Plot points: park, rodeo scenes in an indoor arena, landfill, Maggie’s. Music: - Cree Rider Family Band - "City of Blues" - Cree Rider Family Band - "All That You Got" - Evan Olson - "Call to Arms" Extras: Preview | First minutes | 14x08 tag | Stills | Screencaps

* * * *

14x09 - Find Me in the Dark

Quinn's wealthy father arrives at Heartland with a life-changing proposition for both Amy and his son.

Written by: Mark Haroun Directed by: Michelle Morgan Filmed between: Dec 1 - 21, 2020 Airs: March 14, 2021

Characters: Amy, Lyndy, Georgie, Lou, Jack, Lisa, Quinn, Mitch, Parker, Tim. Guest stars: Lochlyn Munro (Clyde McGregor), Michelle Nolden (Jessica). Animals: horse: Mickey, Shadow, Phoenix. Plot points: Dude Ranch, Lisa, Lou and Jack in the kitchen, skating at the pond, lights by the pond, dark room (photographs, Tim), scene with Amy and Quinn, jumping arena, Quinn wearing nice clothes, Amy and Georgie riding together. Music: - Michael Logen - "Already Home" Extras: Preview | First minutes | 14x09 tag | Stills | Screencaps

* * * *

14x10 - Staying the Course

While Amy works with a challenging horse to help a friend of Clint's, she also revives a dream to rebuild the jumping course that she and Spartan practiced on so many years ago. Meanwhile, Lou learns that Peter won't attend her upcoming wedding and surprised by her emotional reaction, she is forced to face a realization about their relationship.

Written by: Heather Conkie Directed by: Dean Bennett Filmed between: Dec 1 - 21, 2020 Airs: March 21, 2021

Characters: Amy, Lyndy, Georgie, Lou, Jack, Tim, Caleb, Quinn, Mitch, Lisa, Katie, Peter, Parker. Guest stars: Adrian Spencer (Cooper Hose), Aidan Moreno (Rick Adderly), Michelle Nolden (Jessica), Amber Fielding (Fiona), Andrew David Long (Phillip Dawson), Jenny Steele (Mrs. Fitzroy). Animals: horse: Phoenix, dog: Remi. Plot points: another ranch (Cooper involved), the loft (Georgie and Quinn). Music: - SYML - "Girl" Extras: Preview | First minutes | 14x10 tag | Stills | Screencaps

[shadowvalkyrie]

Finally got around to watching SPN 14x04. Wow, that was bad.

I mean, the possessed-hatchet-man-statue plot was self-contained and mildly entertaining at least, which was a welcome relief after the rambling mess of the overarching plot of the last few seasons.

But other than that? The episode managed to tick off practically all my late-SPN pet peeves and then some:

- I couldn’t be bothered to look up who the writer was, but it’s obviously that guy who always feels the need to write Dean as an over-the-top caricature of an ugly, awkward nerd, glasses and all, instead of a stone-cold bad-ass who happens to have a nerdy interest or two.

- Every other scene relied on supposedly-humorous second-hand embarrassment. Instead of laugh, it just made me physically cringe back from my screen.

- Apparently it was time to toss some bones to the Wincest shippers. Not my ship, but I wouldn’t have minded so much if they hadn’t done it a) in the most off-puttingly awkward way possible, and b) by taking some of the more iconic Dean/Cas lines (Thelma and Louise, anyone?) and making them about Dean/Sam, and not even in a funny or clever way.

- Instead of subtly drawing a meaningful parallel between some aspect of the main characters’s personalities, dynamics, or current situation and the characters in the monster-of-the-week plot, the episode gave us three characters that were obviously coded as Dean (ugly nerd boy who likes the same movies and wears an olive jacket), Sam (long-suffering girl in flannel), and Cas (angry boy in beige), then put that coding into text on top of that (why the fuck would you do that? lampshade-hanging is only fun when it’s clever), and finished off with a parallel that made zero sense in-show. I assume it was some sort of writing room in-joke (about someone amongst the-powers-that-be wanting Cas dead and gone, presumably -- though why the episode had to blame its Cas stand-in for it being his own fault, I don’t quite get), but to be honest, as a viewer, I don’t give a shit about that sort of thing. I want content about the characters and their world, not your behind-the-scenes bullshit drama.

- Idiot plot moments galore. Make a salt circle, stay in it, it’s not rocket science. (Maybe also make the salt circle big enough that the people at the centre aren’t still in reach of the hatchet. Not that it even mattered in the end.)

- Overuse of gimmicks. We get it, you like 80s horror movies. It was moderately funny the first few times, but on the fifth repetition? Not so much.

I’m just so very tired of the shitty writing on this show. But sadly it’s probably far too late at this point to fix this in any way. Even replacing absolutely everyone on the writing and production team would still leave us with several years’ worth of irredeemably awful canon. There are maybe three fanwriters in total that I’d trust to pull an Edlund and somehow magically transform this pile of shit into, if not gold then at least some kind of worthwhile copper alloy, but the actual canon writers? Not a chance.

[glenncoco4]

Day 3 and look at all the stuff we know!

[glenncoco4]

Something that’s been ruminating in my head especially since the first episode they filmed seems like it most likely won’t be the premiere. Also, I’m stuck on Production 14x01 and 14x04 swapping like last season.

The premiere starts Densi having “quit” during the summer. Doesn’t make sense financially, I know. Just stick with me. So Densi is spending time with the girls and being really hands on because they have trouble with nightmares and other trauma things. Then cut to 14x02 and they’re talked into coming back by both the girls and the team because those Frankenstein people are back and Agent Rand was one of the victims.

[glenncoco4]

Considering her nails are painted I’d guess Kensi isn’t gonna be in Production 14x04…I mean it’s not like they ever invented finger nail polish remover or anything.